Natib Qadish

Natib Qadish
Natib Qadish is a modern Neopagan religion based on ancient Canaanite religion.[1] Its adherents are called Qadishuma, singular, Qadish. The word "Qadisha" comes from a Semitic root (Q-D-) meaning "holy," and Wadi Qadisha is the Holy Valley in present-day Lebanon.

History
Small Semitic neopagan groups, such as Qadash Kinahnu ("Canaanite Sanctuary") and Natib Qadish ("Sacred Path") emerged in the 1990s. They are devoted to Canaanite gods such as El (Ilu) and Baal and goddesses such as Athirat and Anat. In 1997, Lilinah Biti-Anat formed an online Levant Pagan group and created a website called "Qadash Kinahnu".[2] In 2003, the term The kappu is a symbol of Natib Qadish Natib Qadish was first used, and a 2006 PanGaia magazine published the first article on Natib Qadish. In 2009, Tess Dawson published her book Whisper of Stone: Natib Qadish, Modern Canaanite Religion,[3] the first book on the Neopagan Canaanite religion.[4] These groups celebrate several holidays based on the Canaanite sacred calendar, and some use the hamsa as their symbol.[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Theology
Ancient religion
The Canaanite religion that was practiced by people living in the ancient Levant throughout the Bronze Age and Iron Age was strongly influenced by their more powerful and populous neighbors, and shows clear influence of Mesopotamian and Egyptian religious practices. Like other people of the ancient Near East Canaanite religious beliefs were polytheistic, with families typically focusing worship on ancestral household god and goddess while acknowledging the existence of other deities. Until the excavation of Ras Shamra in Northern Syria (the site historically known as Ugarit), and the discovery of its Bronze Age archive of clay tablet alphabetic cuneiform texts, little was known of Canaanite religion, as papyrus seems to have been the preferred writing medium, and unlike Egypt, in the humid Mediterranean climate, these have simply decayed. The Hurrian culture made a great impact on the religion of the Hittites. From the Hurrian cult centre at Kummanni in Kizzuwatna Hurrian religion spread to the Hittite people. Syncretism merged the Old Hittite and Hurrian religions. Hurrian religion spread to Syria, where Baal became the counterpart of Teshub. Emesa was famous for the worship of the strong ancient pagan cult El-Gebal, also known as Elagabal.[10] The city was renowned for El-Gebals place of worship the Temple of the Sun. El-Gebal was worshipped in the form of a conical black stone.[11] El-Gebal was the Aramaic name for the Syrian Sun God and means God of the Mountain.[12] The priest that served in the cult of El-Gebal wore a clad costume. The dress of an Emesene Priest was very similar to the dress of a Parthian Priest.[13] An Emesani priest wore a long-sleeved and gold-embroidered purple tunic reaching to his feet, gold and purple trousers and a jewelled diadem on his head.[14] Coins have survived from the Emesani dynasty; the earliest known ones being issued for celebrating the cult of El-Gebal under the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, 138-161.[15] They depict an eagle perched on a black stone and an elaborate monumental altar being shown. Two superimposed row of niches, between two pilasters stand on a massive base; with statues in each of the six niches. Above is a smaller altar, surmounted by the great stone itself,

Natib Qadish ornamented with mysterious markings.[16] Baetylus (also Bethel, Betyl; Beth-El is Semitic for "the House of God") is a Semitic word denoting a sacred stone, which was supposedly endowed with life. According to ancient sources, these objects of worship were meteorites, which were dedicated to the gods or revered as symbols of the gods themselves.[17] An example is also mentioned as Bethel in Genesis 28:11-19.[18] In the Phoenician mythology related by Sanchuniathon, one of the sons of Uranus was named Baetylus. The worship of baetyli was widespread in the Phoenician colonies, including Carthage, even after the adoption of Christianity, and was denounced by St. Augustine of Hippo. According to Isaiah 14:13 the mountain Zaphon is the location where the gods assembled. The old Semitic name ' was used by the conquering Assyrians in the 8th century BCE and by the Phoenicians.[19] As a prominent peak in the northern part of the Canaanite world, its name was used, for example in Psalm 48, as a synonym for the direction north.[20] The "Lord of the north", confusingly, could be attested far to the south. Through individuals travelling on errands of diplomacy and trade, the "Lord of Zephon", Ba`al Zephon protected his adherents far and wide: the temple of Baal at Ugarit had a sandstone relief, dedicated by a royal scribe to Ba`al 'Sapn, that had been sent from Egypt. The king of Tyre in 677 called to witness Baal Saphon in his treaty with the king of Assyria[21] ' is also mentioned as the abode of Ba`al in the Ugaritic Ba`al cycle. Baal-zephon ( Hebrew) is a Hebrew name which means 'lord of the north', and refers both to a god the Hellenes knew as Zeus Kasios, the god of Mount Aqraa on the Syrian shore and associated with thunderbolts, the sea and a protector of maritime trade, and a place named in the Bible and described as being near Migdol and Pi-hahiroth where the Hebrews (Israelites) were said to have made their Passage of the Red Sea following their exodus from Egypt.[22] [23] Elagabalus was initially venerated at Emesa in Syria. The name is the Latinized form of the Syrian Ilh hag-Gabal, which derives from Ilh "god" and gabal "mountain") compare gbul and jabal), resulting in "the God of the Mountain" the Emesene manifestation of the deity.[24] The cult of the deity spread to other parts of the Roman Empire in the second century. For example, a dedication has been found as far away as Woerden, in the modern-day Netherlands.[25] A temple called the Elagabalium was built on the east face of the Palatine Hill, to house the holy stone of the Emesa temple, a black conical meteorite.[26] Herodian writes of that stone: This stone is worshipped as though it were sent from heaven; on it there are some small projecting pieces and markings that are pointed out, which the people would like to believe are a rough picture of the sun, because this is how they see them.[27] The Baal of Doliche appears to have had his origins as a Hittite storm god known as Tesub-Hadad, whose cult was centered on the hill of Dlk-Baba Tepesi near the town of Duluk (now modern Gaziantep in Turkey). Evidence for his worship can be traced back to the 6th century BCE, but the Roman expansion of the cult began with their conquest of the area in 64 BCE and its inclusion in the province of Syria. The new Roman deity took his name from Doliche, the Roman name for the town. Religion in Carthage was based on inherited Phoenician ways of devotion. In fact, until its fall embassies from Carthage would regularly make the journey to Tyre to worship Melqart ("King of the City"), bringing material offerings.[28] Transplanted to distant Carthage, these Phoenician ways persisted, but naturally acquired distinctive traits: perhaps influenced by a spiritual and cultural evolution, or synthesizing Berber tribal practices, or transforming under the stress of political and economic forces encountered by the city-state. Over time the original Phoenician exemplar developed distinctly, becoming the Punic religion at Carthage.[29] "The Carthaginians were notorious in antiquity for the intensity of their religious beliefs."[30] "Besides their reputation as merchants, the Carthaginians were known in the ancient world for their superstition and intense religiousness. They imagined

Natib Qadish themselves living in a world inhabited by supernatural powers which were mostly malevolent. For protection they carried amulets of various origins and had them buried with them when they died."[31] At Carthage as at Tyre religion was integral to the city's life. A committee of ten elders selected by the civil authorities regulated worship and built the temples with public funds. Some priesthoods were hereditary to certain families. Punic inscriptions list a hierarchy of cohen (priest) and rab cohenim (lord priests). Each temple was under the supervision of its chief priest or priestess. Surviving Punic texts are detailed enough to give a portrait of a very well organized caste of temple priests and acolytes performing different types of functions, for a variety of prices. Priests were clean shaven, unlike most of the population. In the first centuries of the city ritual celebrations included rhythmic dancing, derived from Phoenician traditions. Ritual masks occur throughout the world, and although they tend to share many characteristics, highly distinctive forms have developed. The function of the masks may be magical or religious; they may appear in rites of passage or as a make-up for a form of theater. Equally masks may disguise a penitent or preside over important ceremonies; they may help mediate with spirits, or offer a protective role to the society who utilize their powers.[32] Masks found in Punic tombs have been interpreted as death masks, or guardians and apotropaic devices that were personifications of death, worn by priests and priestesses during religious rituals. The Punic masks are mainly of the grotesque variety, depicting a grinning or grimacing man with wrinkled (old) or, less frequently, unlined (youthful) grin or grimace in fairly standardized patterns, similar to the Venetian carnival masks worn during the sex ritual scene in Stanley Kubrick's film Eyes Wide Shut.

Modern reconstruction
Qadish theology largely revolves around dualism. Their views of divinity are generally theistic, and revolve around the goddess Baalat Qudshu and the god Baal Qarnaim, thereby being generally dualistic. This dualism is traditionally represented as a split between male and female. This duality is common to various religions, such as Taoism, where it is represented through yin and yang. Some Qadishuma are polytheists, believing in multiple deities taken from various different Semitic pantheons, while others would believe that "all the goddesses are one goddess, and all the gods one god". Some see divinity as having a real, external existence; others see the Goddess and God as archetypes or thoughtforms within the collective consciousness. A key belief of Natib Qadish is that the gods and goddesses are able to manifest in personal form, either through dreams, as physical manifestations, or through the bodies of Qadishuma (adherents of Natib Qadish).

Gods
There are various gods in Canaanite religion. Some of the best-known are perhaps Baal (Hadad), El, Dagon, Yam, Mot, Resheph, Shachar, Shalim and many more. The word 'Baal' can be used as a title for several gods, one notable example being Baal Qarnaim, the "Lord of Two Horns". The Canaanites were forbidden to speak his name, so they substituted it with the word "Qarnaim," meaning horns, to identify him by his horned headdress. Indeed, Baal (Biblical Hebrew , , usually spelled Baal in English) is a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord". Several deities had the title of Baal, and variations of the word were used by tribal leaders as a title of respect and notoriety. The most notable Baals, are: Hadad, bull-horned god of the Phoenician branch of Canaanites. As attested in Ugaritic sources, Hadad was the son of El. El and Baal are often associated with the bull in Ugaritic texts, as a symbol both of strength and fertility; Resheph, gazelle-horned god of the Hyksos branch of Canaanites that ruled Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period; Hammon, ram-horned god of the Carthagians. In Carthage and North Africa Baal Hammon was especially associated with the ram and was worshiped also as Baal Qarnaim ("Lord of Two Horns") in an open-air sanctuary at Jebel Bu Kornein ("the two-horned hill") across the bay from Carthage.

Natib Qadish

Goddesses
There are also goddesses in Canaanite religion, who may act as consorts to the male gods, but are also extremely independent and may be worshiped separately. Goddess Baalat Qudshu is often seen as having a triple aspect; that of Qudshu-Astarte-Anat. Qudshu-Astarte-Anat is a representation of a single goddess thats a combination of three goddesses: Qetesh, Astarte, and Anat. A common practice of Canaanites (and Egyptians) was to merge different deities through a process of synchronization, thereby, turning them into one single entity. The Triple-Goddess Stone, once owned by Winchester College, shows the goddess Qetesh with the inscription "Qudshu-Astarte-Anat", showing their association as being one goddess, and Qetesh in place of Athirat. Religious scholar, Saul M. Olyan (author of Asherah and the Cult of Yahweh in Israel), calls the representation on the Qudshu-Astarte-Anat plaque "a triple-fusion hypostasis", and considers Qudshu to be an epithet of Athirat by a process of elimination, for Astarte and Anat appear after Qudshu in the inscription.[33] [34] Athirat is the wife of El and sacred "Mother Goddess" of the Canaanites. Athirat was called Asherah by the Hebrews, and the Hyksos identified her with their goddess Qetesh in Egypt. Astarte is closely associated with Baal, and Baal's sister and consort, Anat, along with his mother, Athirat. She is also linked to the Carthagian goddess Tanit (female counterpart of Baal, also known as Baalat, and Pene Baal "face of Baal"). According to myth, Astarte wore a bull's head over her own to signify her union with Baal. Anat is Baals sister and putative mate. According to myth, she waited for Baal to return from hunting so she could seduce him and bare him a steer (son). The Ras Shamra stele describes Anat as "Anat queen of heaven and mistress of all the gods." Known as the "virgin Anat," she indulged in orgies of violence "wading up to her thighs in blood and gore." She was part of a goddess triad, that included Athirat (Qudshu), and Astarte. In the New Kingdom Ramesses II made Anat his personal guardian in battle and enlarged Anat's temple in Pi-Ramesses, and named his daughter (whom he later married) Bint-Anat "daughter of Anat".

The number seven

For Natib Qadish, the sacred number is seven. Baal is said to have sired a bull calf, the guarantee of his power in absence, before descending to the underworld to challenge the forces of chaos in the form of the god Mot. Mot kills Baal, and Anat resurrected him. In the seventh year, Anat avenged Baal's murder by cleaving Mot with her sword, throwing his body into a fire, then grinding his bones and feeding the remains to the birds and animals of the fields (VT Exodus 23:10-11 describes six years of harvest followed by a seventh year in which the land must lie fallow). Victory was celebrated at the autumn festival of the New Year in the month of Tishrei (Tire) pending the arrival of the rains. The seventh day of the week, Sunday, is a Sabbath (day of rest) for Qadishuma. It's also a preferred day to perform rituals.

Symbolism
The palm tree is one of the main symbols of Natib Qadish. The date palm is associated with the "Goddess" because of the tree's life-giving qualities: food, shade, and as an indication of water, because they grow where water or rain is present. The palm resembles the palm of the hand, and the name "palm" is derived from it. The Greek name for the Canaanite Phoenicians comes from the Greek word "phoinike" (: Phoink) that refers to the purple-red dye created by them. The name Phoenix is related to the scientific name for the date palm tree: Phoenix dactylifera.[35] The kappu (Phoenician for "palm of hand") symbol is used by Qadishuma, and represents the hand of the lord (Baal), that was held upright by various Canaanite deities as a symbolic gesture. The kappu, particularly the open right hand, is a sign of protection that also represents blessings, power and strength, and is seen as potent in deflecting the evil eye.

Natib Qadish One theory of the hamsa traces its origins to Carthage (Phoenicia) where the hand (or in some cases vulva) of the supreme deity Tanit was used to ward off the evil eye.

Holidays
The Shanatu Qadishti (sacred year) starts in autumn at the New Moon before autumnal equinox. The names of the holidays are not the original names (which are lost), but names put together from Ugaritic, a Canaanite language. Qudshu Mathbati: New moon of the month of Autumnal Equinox, Festival of the Dwellings Marzichu: Full Moon of the next month, the annual gathering of a social drinking club often to commemorate the ancestors (Sometimes celebrated in the summer instead.) Qudshu Ari: Winter solstice Festival of Light. Athirat, Lady Athirat of the Sea (rabat Airat yammi) is honored. As part of a modern celebration, some choose to light oil lamps or candles for her return. Qudshu Shamni: 7 days after the coming New Moon, Festival of Oil. Oil of Wellbeing is offered to Baal. In modern celebration, new Shamnu Mori (myrrh oil) and new Shamnu Raqachi (spiced oil) is made. Qudshu Ganni: Spring Equinox. Festival of the Garden. It is said this celebration involves being in a garden and eating fish soup. A surviving text about this celebration involves the removal of foodstuffs, but no indication is given as to what the foodstuffs are: some speculate this is leavened bread, but we cannot be certain. In honor of this removal of foodstuffs some choose to fast from a particular kind of food leading up to this holiday. Qudshu Liyati: skip the next month, and go to the next full moon. Festival of Garlands. A text called the Gezer calendar from circa 900 BCE notes harvest and feasting in this month. Qudshu Zabri: Summer Solstice. Festival of Pruning for grapevines. There is an ancient text that deals with pruning Mot like a grapevine. An effigy of Mot can be created from vines or vegetation and left to the elements or burned. Rashu Yeni: Skip the next month, go to full moon on the month after. Festival of the New Wine. Lasts for 7 days of merriment, then its back to the beginning of the year once more. Lunar Cycles: Offerings made during the New Moon (Chudthu) and Full Moon (Mlatu).

References
[1] http:/ / www. americanneopaganism. com/ eclecticism. htm [2] http:/ / webspace. webring. com/ people/ nl/ lilinah_haanat/ templetoc. html [3] (http:/ / www. amazon. com/ Whisper-Stone-Qadish-Canaanite-Religion/ dp/ 1846941903) [4] http:/ / canaanitepath. com/ introduction. htm#historynq [5] Dawson, Tess Whisper of Stone: Natib Qadish: Modern Canaanite Religion, 2009, ISBN 9781846941900. [6] Hunter, Jenifer Magickal Judaism: Connecting Pagan & Jewish Practice, 2006, ISBN 0806525762, ISBN 978-0806525761 [7] http:/ / www. christiantelegraph. com/ issue5288. html [8] http:/ / www. haaretz. com/ print-edition/ features/ paganism-returns-to-the-holy-land-1. 272627 [9] http:/ / www. witchvox. com/ va/ dt_va. html?a=usmn& c=words& id=10543 [10] Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, p.71 [11] Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, p.71 [12] Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, p.71 [13] Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, p.p.71-72 [14] Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, p.p.71-72 [15] Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, p.p.71-2 [16] Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, p.p.71-2 [17] Pliny's Natural History xvii. 9; Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople, Myriobiblon, Codex 242. [18] Robert Everett Allen Palmer. Rome and Carthage at Peace. ISBN 3515070400. Page 99. [19] Fox 2009:241f. [20] "Zaphon" (http:/ / www. highbeam. com/ doc/ 1O97-Zaphon. html) [21] Both noted by Fox 2009:252. [22] Freedman, David Noel; Allen C. Myers, Astrid B. Beck Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000 ISBN 978-0802824004 p137 (http:/ / books. google. co. uk/ books?id=P9sYIRXZZ2MC& pg=PA137& dq=Baal-zephon& ei=4IiNSYyEEaaGzgTghrGOBQ& client=firefox-a)

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[23] Bromiley, Geoffrey W. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing, 1996 ISBN 978-0802837813 p381 (http:/ / books. google. co. uk/ books?id=BW_1mt4oebQC& pg=PA381& dq=Baal-zephon& ei=4IiNSYyEEaaGzgTghrGOBQ& client=firefox-a) [25] An Early Dedication to Elagabal (http:/ / rambambashi. wordpress. com/ 2008/ 05/ 22/ an-early-dedication-to-elagabal/ ); the inscription is in now in Woerden's city museum. [26] Herodian, Roman History V.5 (http:/ / www. livius. org/ he-hg/ herodian/ hre505. html) [27] Herodian, Roman History V.3 (http:/ / www. livius. org/ he-hg/ herodian/ hre503. html) [28] Serge Lance, Carthage (Paris: Librairie Artheme Fayard 1992), translated as Carthage. A History (Oxford: Blackwell 1995) at 193. [29] Gilbert Charles Picard and Colette Picard, Vie et mort de Carthage (Paris: Hatchette 1968) translated as The Life and Death of Carthage (New York: Taplinger 1968) at 45. [30] B.H.Warmington, Carthage (London: Robert Hale 1960; reprint Penguin 1964) at 155. [31] Abun-Nasr, A History of the Maghrib (1971) at 22. [32] Masques du Monde M.Revelard/G. Kostadonova pub. La Renaissance du Livre 2000 Tournai Belgium ISBN 2-8046-0413-6 [33] The Ugaritic Baal cycle: Volume 2 by Mark S. Smith - Page 295 [34] The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts by Mark S. Smith - Page 237 [35] http:/ / www. searchgodsword. org/ enc/ isb/ view. cgi?number=T6911

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Article Sources and Contributors

Natib Qadish Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=455141438 Contributors: Americist, Camocon, Editor2020, EoGuy, Good Olfactory, Griswaldo, Lastpagan, 2 anonymous edits

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